According to Axios and The New York Times, citing U.S. officials and an intelligence memo, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton has warned Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran is in the "advanced stages" of planning attacks on U.S. personnel abroad. The memo states that U.S. intelligence agencies have received intelligence indicating Iran has "significantly increased its efforts against U.S. personnel," with lethal attack plans reaching an "advanced stage" in the Middle East and other countries.

This warning has prompted Washington to raise the alert level for its personnel in the Middle East and has led to the evacuation of some staff from the region. An official from the Donald Trump administration confirmed the authenticity of the memo to The New York Times. This assessment also supports signals that the U.S. and Israel may be preparing for new military action against Iran, with Tehran reportedly threatening retaliation.